Because of Everything
by Littleotter73
Summary: After successfully hunting demons in the English countryside with two of the more advanced Slayers in the Academy, a stressed out Giles and Buffy return to London with the teenagers in tow. Both look to blow off steam afterward and go their separate ways to do so. Only Buffy changes her mind and goes in search of her Watcher and finds more than she thought she would.


**Title: **Because of Everything

**Author:** littleotter73

**Pairing:** Buffy/Giles

**Rating:** M

**Beta:** catchoo

**Setting:** Post Chosen, no comics

**Disclaimer:** For fun, no profit. The Buffyverse belongs to Joss and Co.

Because of Everything

The harsh smell of chlorine invaded Rupert Giles' nose as he forcefully pushed open the doors to the Academy's Olympic sized pool. After turning on the lights in the pool only, he took a long draft from the bottle of beer in his hand and watched as the water lapped the concrete edges, beckoning him in near silent invitation. Making his way towards the deep end, he contemplated the cool serenity a midnight swim would afford him.

This last week had been long and stressful and he and his traveling companions had arrived back in London a few hours ago. The two younger Slayers were now tucked away in their dorm rooms and Buffy had gone out dancing at one of the trendy clubs she liked to frequent after a long, successful hunt. He and Buffy could have handled taking out the pair of D'roshnik demons marauding the Norfolk countryside by themselves, but it was time for the two most senior Slayers at the Academy to gain some practical tracking and slaying experience.

He was glad to have his Slayer back at his side assisting with the training of the new crop of Slayers and Watchers after her gap year in Rome. Truth was that they both had needed that time apart. Even Willow and Xander had gone their separate ways to heal from the horrors of seven years of active duty on the Hellmouth.

After finishing his beer, Giles tossed the bottle into the bin and cracked another. He was finally ridding himself of that edgy feeling and set his towel and the other two bottles he had bought at the off license a few blocks away down next to a starting block at the deep end of the pool. Karina and Natalie had proven to be quite adept at slaying, but they were still teenage girls with all the enthusiasm and raging hormones typical to them. They'd even gotten on Buffy's last nerve a few times and loathe as he was to do it, he'd had to intervene before the senior Slayer gave in to the urge to feed them to the demons they were hunting.

Giles tugged his shirt out from his pants and unbuttoned the front and the sleeves, shrugging it off to reveal the light grey tank he wore beneath it. He preferred this type of undershirt to t-shirts because there were no sleeves to bunch beneath his shirt and reduce his range of motion.

Stretching out his back and shoulder muscles, the Watcher crossed his arms before him several times and rolled his head. As far back as he could remember, he'd loved to swim, at first mimicking his elders in the paddling pool and then later on taking lessons with other boys his age. Over time it had become his passion. The sound of the water rushing through his ears as he perfected the different strokes had blocked out the troubles at home and the pressures that came with his calling. When he'd gone to boarding school, he'd tried out for the swim team and very quickly earned the fastest times for both sprints and long distance races. He liked the team aspect for the support, but when he was in the pool, he raced for himself.

At Oxford he'd specialized in long distance before dropping out and running away to London, and when he'd returned he was no longer fit for competition, having abused his body with magicks, drugs, sex, and brawling. He'd rebelled against everyone and everything, his anger and disappointment raging out of control. Food was fuel and proper nutrition never crossed his addled mind during that time. He supposed the term for his look after his rebellion was 'heroin chic.' Lanky, sinewy, underweight, and unhealthy. It had taken close to a year for him to detox and build his body back up to re-qualify for the Watcher's Academy, but he never again swam for his alma mater after his return. His time in the pool belonged only to him. It was solace.

Pulling off his undershirt, he was quite pleased with his physique. He'd spent the last two years in the pool in addition to training with the new Slayers and Watchers under his supervision. He'd never have the washboard abs he'd had in his twenties or even early thirties, but he was lean with great muscle definition in his upper body, and he enjoyed the fact that he could still turn heads as he approached fifty.

Giles toed off his shoes and pulled off his socks before taking another healthy swig of his beer and placing the bottle at the edge of the pool. He took off his glasses and placed them on the starting block for safe keeping. Quickly unbuttoning the fly on his jeans, he dropped them and his briefs to the ground and stepped out of them, leaving them in a pile next to his shirts.

He bent down and tested the water with his left hand. It was cooler than he liked, but he wasn't about to let it interfere with his swim, and he splashed himself with the water to acclimatize before lowering himself into the pool. Giles still loved the explosive rush of launching himself off the starting block, but given the fact that he hadn't brought any swim trunks, he thought it best not to.

Allowing himself to sink below the surface, the Watcher relished the tranquility as he hung suspended in the liquid. Then, in a moment's burst of energy, he kicked off the wall and began a grueling yet rhythmic pace as he swam for the other end of the pool, kicking out a cadence familiar to him from his racing days.

After swimming the length of the pool and back, he guzzled the last of his beer and opened another bottle. With his heart pumping faster, the alcohol moved through his system more quickly and he finally started to feel relaxed.

XxXxXxXx

Buffy checked on her two companions before heading out to the club. The girls had been exhausted after several sleepless nights of hunting, and in the wake of their whiny and petulant attitudes, she and Giles had put them on cleanup and burial duty, which was not an inconsequential task. She'd had enough teenaged angst to last her a while. Thankfully her sister was away at school up north and wouldn't be back until the holidays. She had to admit that Dawn was settling into a fine young adult now, and Buffy wasn't ready to go back and play mom to a bunch of bratty teenagers. She was their leader, their instructor, and their mentor and that's where it ended.

A week of full on chaperoning had done her in and when she turned towards the tube station, she realized that she wasn't in the mood for the club experience that night, dancing to the pounding of the bass with London's virile young studs, only to go home alone and frustrated. Of course, she didn't have to go home alone, and on a couple occasions she hadn't, but the experiences had been empty. She wanted more than that, and she knew she wasn't going to find it in the anonymous setting of London's night scene.

Nor was she going to find it with her Watcher, she mused unhappily when she found herself on his doorstep. He'd never shown any interest in her that way, and even though her feelings for him had changed over the past year, she'd long since stopped secretly entertaining ideas that he might. At least he was good company and provided intelligent conversation as well as a good cup of tea. Letting herself into his small cottage on the Academy grounds, Buffy called for him but he didn't answer. She knew Giles was a night owl, but she checked his room just in case.

Perplexed, she closed the door to the cottage behind her and walked over to the administration building where their offices were. Striking out, she checked the library, but it was dark as well. He must've gone out for the evening. Frustrated, the Slayer headed over to the training center. She wasn't exactly dressed for it, but she felt the need to abuse the heavy bag and thankfully the sleek black dress moved properly. She'd just need to toss off the sling backs and let her hair down, which was a shame since she'd finally gotten it to where she really liked it, up off her neck with some wisps falling down to frame her face.

Buffy pulled her key badge out of her clutch purse, unlocked the door, and entered the training center. Even though it was dark, she immediately she knew she wasn't alone. She pulled out the stake she had strapped to her thigh beneath her dress and removed her heels, setting them aside to collect later in order to prevent detection.

Keeping her back against the wall, Buffy continued forward down the main corridor when she noticed a soft glow coming from the aquatics hall off to the left. She lowered her stake and looked through the glass panel in one of the doors. When she didn't immediately see anyone about, she stealthily slipped through the doors.

Her ears picked up the splashing sounds of someone swimming with practiced skill, the beats into the water disciplined and strong. She kept to the shadows, moving further into the room to see which one of the young Slayers broke curfew, and was surprised to find that the body in the water was clearly male, breathing to his left side facing away from her, and she blew out a breath in irritation.

He must be one of the new Watchers. His back was strong, his arms and shoulders were extremely well defined, and what she could see of his legs as they kicked beneath the water's surface... oh boy! When he reached the edge of the pool, he flipped and kicked out, starting another lap, only when he surfaced, he switched into the butterfly stroke, launching his upper body out of the water, only to dive under again, affording her a good look at his perfectly sculpted ass as it broke the surface. The man wasn't wearing swim trunks! And despite the coolness of the air temperature, it suddenly felt very warm in the aquatic center.

Having made her way to the deep end of the pool, she watched again as he made his turn at the wall before noticing his things near the starting block. She broke her appreciative gaze from his body and found his clothes strewn about without care on the tiled floor and three empty bottles of beer lining the edge. Clearly someone didn't give a crap about alcohol and water safety.

Her swimming Adonis clearly was somewhat of a rebel and she rested her gaze back onto his form as he continued his lap down the lane. She'd have to find refuge in a moment, but she wanted to know who he was. Reaching for his jeans to check for a wallet with identification, the Slayer noticed a pair of glasses on the block. Picking them up, she shook her head in disbelief. These looked like Giles' glasses, but they couldn't be, could they?

Being a Slayer, Buffy would never need glasses, but she liked them and would often take Giles' glasses from him and wear them when they were hanging out in his cottage. It amused her. His sight wasn't horrible and he mainly used them for distance, often ditching them when reading or doing close work. Maybe the guy in the pool just liked the style and had the same frames. Putting them on removed any doubt. They belonged to Giles.

But, God! She'd been checking out Giles! In fact, she was _still_ checking out Giles! She knew him to be in great shape, but who knew he had such a smoking hot body? A body that was about to head back her direction and if he was going to keep up that incredible butterfly stroke, he'd see her at the end of the lane. Before retreating back into the shadows, a wicked idea formed in her mind. After picking up his clothes and towel, she found a suitable hiding spot and waited for him to finish his swim.

XxXxXxXx

Giles decided that he had had enough and slowed his pace as he approached the wall where he had left his stuff. Reaching for the edge he stopped and pawed around for his towel, but wasn't able to find it. After wiping the water from his eyes he looked around, but it was still missing, along with all his clothes. He knew he was in the lane he had started from because the beer bottles were lined up before him. Furrowing his brow, he looked around the swim hall for the culprit.

"I know you're out there. Please return my things," he entreated, trying not to sound annoyed. He was so very tired of teenage antics, especially after the past week. "I'll close my eyes, you can put them back and head off to where you're supposed to be and none will be the wiser."

"You mean these?" Buffy asked, stepping into his line of sight, his glasses on her face and holding his towel and now folded clothes in her hands.

"Oh, Buffy, thank Christ," the relieved Watcher breathed. "Hand me the towel would you?"

Sitting down on the starting block, she answered devilishly, "Nope."

"Why ever not?" he asked indignantly.

"Because I kinda like you there at the moment."

Giles glared up at her and to his annoyance, she just smugly smiled back. "I thought you were going out dancing tonight," he finally muttered.

"So did I. I even got all dressed up," she replied, standing for him and turning about, allowing her dress to billow out a little and showing off more of her legs than she probably intended from the angle he was at.

"Very lovely," he complimented, hugging the wall a little more closely as the image of her shapely legs, especially the right one sporting the leather garter that holstered her stake, started to affect him.

She sat back down on the starting block, crossing her legs. "Thank you. But after stopping to check up on the wonder twins, I just wasn't feelin' it tonight and thought maybe we'd hang out. When I couldn't find you, I figured you went out."

"Yes, I do that from time to time," he replied, backing away slightly from the edge of the pool to tread water. "What brings you here?"

She removed his glasses from her face and bit down on the end. "I just got frustrated, so I figured I'd come beat on the heavy bag for a while, but I got concerned when I saw the pool lights on... thought maybe some of the girls were breaking curfew. Imagine my surprise to find my _naked_ Watcher swimming laps. Did it ever occur to you to set up wards?"

Giles moved back to the wall and hung onto the edge. "I've never needed to before," he answered, assessing her mood.

"So this is a fairly regular thing? I'll have to come out more often," laughed the Slayer. "Nice form."

"Alright, you've had your fun, may I have my towel now, please?" he asked, looking up at her as he reached his arm out, unsure as to whether she was referring to his body or his technique.

Shaking her head, Buffy moved to the edge of the pool, sat down in front of him, and dangled her legs in the water, replying, "Nuh-uh."

"What do you want, Buffy?" Giles questioned, placing his hands on either side of her and raising himself up on his arms to look her in the eyes, carefully keeping his lower half in the water.

The blonde dropped her eyes and drew in a breath, admiring the view before her as the water ran over his extremely male torso.

Giving him an appreciative smile, Buffy confidently answered, "Well, for starters I _want_ to take you to Saville Row to get you clothes that will actually show off that rockin' bod you've got there."

"I think not," he dismissed, lowering his gaze to enjoy the amount of skin she was showing. Buffy loved wearing sheath dresses with spaghetti straps and this one came down to just above the knee. If she could ogle, why couldn't he?

His attentions were not lost on Buffy and she upped the ante by casually brushing her calf against his hip and thigh. "Well, you'll need something nice to wear when you take me out dancing..."

"Take you out... _dancing?"_ Giles laughed incredulously, but still kept his voice low. He was well aware she was flirting with him and he shivered slightly when he felt her touch. "_Why_ would I want to do that?"

"Because I am stellar company?" Buffy pouted beneath an enigmatic smile.

"And why would _you _want me to? I was always the odd man out in Sunnydale."

"Well, you know, back then we were in school, and you... weren't. Now, it's... different."

Leaning in closer, Giles invaded her space, his mischievous eyes glinting in the low light. "Because you like what you see?" he whispered low against her ear, his voice sexy and taunting her. He knew he was starting to play a dangerous game, but he enjoyed the provocative nature of it entirely too much and she seemed up for it.

"N-no, that's not the only reason why," his Slayer insisted, a little flustered when his warm breath tickled her ear. This was a completely different side of Giles. He was her comfort guy, her go to guy, not dangerous, sexy, naked guy, but she was reveling in the banter and was determined to keep it going. "But you seriously can't blame me for wanting to show my incredibly hot Watcher off. I'll be the envy of every girl in the nightclub and many of the guys as well."

Giles was very careful not to touch her as he lowered himself back into the water, keeping eye contact with her the whole time, his hands still grasping the ledge on either side of her.

"Do you ever go out, Watcher?" Buffy challenged. "I've never seen you with anyone since Olivia, way back in Sunnydale."

His eyes drifted down her body, and he allowed his thumb to brush up against her hip. Noticing her breathing pattern becoming more shallow, he answered, "Before you arrived back in London, there were a few women, but nothing serious." His voice was low, almost a whisper. "It was a busy time, and while they were all very lovely, I had neither the time nor the inclination for anything more than the occasional casual evening out."

"Why, Mr Giles, are you suggesting that I put a crimp in your social life?"

"I said no such thing, Miss Summers," he assured her, though the answer was more complex than the one he gave. Since she had moved to London, he'd really felt no desire to date other women. He and Buffy spent most of their free time together and while he longed for more, he was content in their partnership.

"No you didn't," Buffy agreed, feeling a little insecure. "When you take me dancing, I promise not to monopolize all your time and you can dance with whoever you like."

"When I take you dancing, Buffy, you will have _all_ my attention," Giles promised as he continued to caress her hip with his thumb.

The Slayer gave him a genuine smile. His words made her heart skip a beat, but his touch was sending her senses into overdrive. She reached out and brushed her fingertips over his cheek. Giles let out a small sigh as his eyes closed momentarily in response. When he opened them, he found her closer, leaning down. He removed his hand from her hip and placed it on the edge, pushing himself up, level with her.

Her index finger traced a line from his jawline to his lips and he instinctively parted them, placing a feather soft kiss on the pad of her finger, his eyes challenging her for more.

As light as it was, Giles' kiss sent shockwaves through her body and she reeled back at the intensity of it, her green eyes wide in astonishment. Uncertain of her reaction, the Watcher lowered himself back into the water, assessing the situation while Buffy stared at him in bewilderment.

Fearing he pushed her too far, he asked, "May I please have my towel?"

Buffy continued to stare at him, unsure of herself, and Giles sighed in frustration. Moving over to the next lane, he launched himself out of the water in one fluid motion and walked over to the starting block where his clothes and towel were. She swallowed earnestly at the sight of him, shocked that the normally shy and formal Englishman would break his usual reserve with her. And ogling his body in the water had done nothing to prepare her for the naked beauty her Watcher displayed before her as he walked over towards the starting block, seemingly unaffected by his state of undress. He was absolutely stunning from head to toe.

After quickly drying his hair, Giles wrapped the small towel around his waist, letting the water drip from his body. Small streams meandered through the hair on his chest, drawing the Slayer's eyes down to the edge of the impersonal white cotton cloth, which she internally cursed.

Buffy stood up and faced him. "Giles, I-"

"While I have enjoyed our flirtatious banter and have promised to take you dancing, I think this is where this night ends," he said rather formally, reaching for his clothes behind her.

"What just happened?" she asked in confusion. Couldn't he feel the pull between them as well? Or had she been mistaken?

"It's late, Buffy. I'll meet you in the lobby and we'll walk home together." His voice was brusque and aloof. Kneeling down, he picked up the three beer bottles and tossed them in the bin on his way to the men's changing room.

She didn't have to wait long for him in the lobby. He'd taken a quick shower since he no longer smelled of chlorine, but he must've just thrown his clothes on because he hadn't bothered to tuck the maroon Oxford shirt into his jeans and it clung to him in places where he hadn't dried off properly. He also hadn't bothered to brush his hair. When he joined her, she handed him his glasses and he nodded his thanks before putting them in the breast pocket of his shirt and motioning her towards the door.

The senior Slayer's flat was in a building just off campus. She still felt the need to separate her personal life from slaying and it also afforded her the privacy that she wouldn't have gotten from hero worshipping young Slayers had she taken up residence within the Academy walls. The Watcher and Slayer walked across campus towards her place in quiet contemplation, neither knowing what to say. Part of Giles hoped that she didn't see his true emotions and that she would chalk his behavior up to the alcohol. Not that he was drunk. In fact, he was quite sober. It was just that _she _didn't know that. The other part of him wanted to just get it out in the open and see where the chips fell.

Buffy noticed the tension Giles' was carrying in his body, something that had been totally absent from him while he had been in the pool. Even pushing himself to keep up the strenuous pace he had started, he had been completely at ease and relaxed. When they'd started to flirt, he'd been amused and not at all bothered by the fact that he was completely naked, and she hated the fact that after all the annoyances the two of them had put up with over the past week with the teenaged Slayers, he had lost that serenity he had found.

And did she mention his body? He put those poseur boys at the night club to shame. They were just boys trying to act like men. No real experience, no history behind their muscle - or lack thereof. Most trying to look like a model out of a Burberry fashion shoot: all hipbones and washboard abs, male, yet pretty, and way too self involved. Whereas Giles was a man and a proven warrior. He was rugged, fit, muscled, had hair on his body, and consistently put her first. And he had a quiet inner strength that she'd always admired. Unable to keep her mind from wandering, she blushed when her thoughts strayed below the belt. Yes, Giles was definitely _all_ _male._

Mentally shaking aside that happy image, Buffy continued to evaluate her predicament with her Watcher. She was happy in their relationship, it was why she had sought him out instead of going to the club, but it was missing an integral part; and for the past year she realized she'd been looking for a relationship like the one she had with Giles but with romance and intimacy to go with it, and failing miserably.

When they reached the door to her flat, she turned to him, asking, "Would you like to come in for tea?" She laughed and looked away. "God, how cliché."

"I think it best if I go home," Giles answered, looking at his feet. "It's very late-"

"Giles," she interrupted gently, taking his hand in hers and looking up into his face. "Please stay."

"I-I really should go, Buffy, but let's grab coffee tomorrow. Let's say around ten? I can stop by and we can..." His voice trailed off when she placed her index finger on his lips.

"If we don't talk now then we never will and things will be awkward between us."

She opened the door, turned on the lights, and led her resigned Watcher into the flat. He walked over to the black leather sofa where he took a seat on the edge, his body language rigid.

"Would you like some tea?" Buffy asked, setting her purse down on the table next to the door.

"No, thank you," Giles replied, looking down at his hands.

Pulling the stake from the garter holster, she placed it down next to her purse. "You're one huge enigma, Giles. One minute you're flirting with me, sending shockwaves up my body with just the tiniest of touches and the next you could give the Queen lessons in stuffiness. Talk to me... please?"

He remained quiet, keeping his eyes focused on a spot on the floor. Finally he spoke, "I don't know what to say, Buffy."

"I think you do," she answered, leaning against the door.

"Alright," he conceded, lifting his eyes to meet hers. "Why did you take my towel and my clothes?"

"I don't know. It seemed like a good idea at the time."

"Yes, let's make fun of the old man, tease him," Giles mocked. "Incidentally, how long have you known?"

"You're not old and you've totally lost me, Giles. Known what?"

"I suppose it doesn't matter."

Buffy tried to keep calm and not get riled up. "Clearly it does, or you wouldn't be so upset."

Giles' anger bubbled to the surface, yet his voice remained controlled, his diction clipped and precise, like his arms beating into the water to the steady beat of his internal metronome. "When I swim, Buffy, it's for _me. _It's _my _time. It's _my _escape. I clear my head and it brings me peace. Something which I do not get very often. You came in, saw that I wasn't one of the young Slayers and yet, instead of heading back out to go to the nightclub or to work out or even warn me of your presence, you took my things and refused to give them back."

"You didn't seem angry at the time, Giles, more amused and you were mischievous and playful, and agreed to take me out clubbing sometime," she reminded him. "And you have absolutely nothing to worry about. You've got an amazing body there. _Way_ impressive."

Giles stood up, his green eyes blazing with pent up ire. "Suddenly I am deemed worthy of escorting you on an evening out because you've seen me unclothed and approve?"

"No!" she shouted, pushing off the door and walking toward him, stopping on the opposite side of the coffee table from him. Lowering her voice, she continued, "It's not like that. After I got dressed and checked on the girls, I realized I didn't want to go clubbing tonight and I headed over to your place, looking for _you_. I even checked your office and the library before giving up and going to the gym."

"We flirted. I took it too far," the weary gentleman offered as a truce, sitting back down on the sofa. "Please, I am tired. It's best if we revisit this tomorrow when clearer heads will prevail."

Buffy walked around the table and surprisingly, she didn't sit down next to him, instead she knelt on the floor before him and looked up into his eyes.

Setting her hands on his knees, she took a deep breath and began, "Giles, I love the way things are between us. I love the way we work together. I love that we spend time together just the two of us, I love how you are my best friend, and I love how you forgive my stupid mistakes and the bad choices I've made along the way."

"But?" he swallowed nervously, holding her gaze, knowing there was more she wanted to say.

"But, it's been a year and I think it's time for a change... for both of us."

"You... you want to leave?" Giles asked quietly, focusing his gaze across the room to brace himself for the answer. Perhaps that was why she had sought him out earlier.

"What?" she asked incredulously and his eyes flew to hers in surprise. The fear on his face tore at her heart and she raised herself up on her knees, throwing her arms around him and holding him tight. "No! God no," she declared against his neck. "I just..." trailing off, she pulled away and drew his face down to hers, first kissing his forehead and then ever so softly, reverently, his lips.

When she pulled away, the look on his face was that of a tortured soul. The wounded look in his eyes haunted her. He reached up behind him, removed her hands from around his neck, and stood up without a word. Walking over to the door, he grasped the handle so tightly his knuckles turned white.

"Don't go, Giles, please," Buffy entreated barely above a whisper.

"I can't think. Find me tomorrow, we'll talk then," he managed, turning towards her.

"I'm not asking you to think, Giles. Just... just tell me what you feel," she pleaded, rising from her position on the floor. As he pulled down on the handle to open the door, she quickly crossed the room and deliberately closed it. When he wasn't forthcoming, she gave him an unsure smile, "I'll go first, okay?"

The stoic Watcher studied her face. She was nervous, her dark green eyes wide, yet her expression was open. Placing her hand over his, Buffy removed it from the handle, gently rubbing the back with her thumb. She then dropped her gaze to their hands and stopped the motion, suddenly aware that she had been caressing him.

Finally, she looked back up at him and bit her lip. "I'm scared. I'm scared of losing you. I'm scared that you'll leave here and nothing will ever be right between us again. And I'm scared that no matter what I say, you'll walk out that door anyway."

Giles softened at her uncertainty, "We always work things out, Buffy, you know that. You lash out, but I have a tendency to internalize and there are times when you need to give me the space to do that. Have faith in me?"

"Is that what you've been doing for the last hour? Internalizing?" Buffy asked.

"Partly," he answered.

"With a side of anger." Giles grimaced but she continued, "I don't really get that, Giles, because I thought we were both enjoying flirting together. I know I was. The way you made me feel... it was incredible. And that's basically what's been missing between us... at least for me..." she took a moment to gather her thoughts. "We're practically already a couple, you know. We care about each other, we're together all the time, we train together, we eat together, and we raise the baby Watchers and Slayers together. We do practically everything together... except... you know... the smoochie part."

Buffy paused and put her palms to his chest, finding his glasses in his breast pocket. She removed them and placed them on the table before returning her hands to his chest and taking a step closer.

"I am taking a leap of faith here... with you," she started. "All I know is that since moving to London I've wanted you... and I didn't think there was a possibility of an us in a romantic sense. And there you were tonight, suddenly open to the idea just a little bit. I could see it in those incredibly honest eyes of yours... that you wanted me too."

The surprised Watcher could see the challenge in her eyes daring him to deny her claim. He hadn't realized how perceptive his Slayer could be and he remained silent knowing that she would accept that as his confirmation.

"What I don't know is how you feel. For me... it's not about having some miraculous epiphany after seeing you naked... although, serious bonus points," she said with a shy smile before shifting her gaze downward and lowering her voice to just above a whisper, "it's about loving you and maybe the two of us finally getting it right."

Raising her right hand off his chest, Giles placed a delicate kiss into her palm. It caught her by surprise and she lifted her eyes to his, unprepared for the intensity of longing she saw radiating from them, and it stole her breath. Letting go of her hand, he drew the back of his fingers down her cheek in a tender caress.

"Don't you know how I feel by now?" he managed, his voice full of emotion. Cupping her face with both hands, he took her lips with a possessive kiss.

Buffy immediately escalated, deepening the kiss, plundering his mouth with her tongue and running her hands along his sides beneath his untucked shirts. Giles moaned deep in his throat, his tongue mating with hers as he circled an arm around her waist and pulled her flush against his body, wanting to feel her against him, to reinforce the reality of what was happening between them. When the kiss ended, he broke out into a smile.

"Wow, that looks so good on you, Giles," she said, placing a small kiss on his chin as her fingers caressed his back just above the waistline of his jeans. "Stay with me," Buffy coaxed, taking his right hand in her left and leading him towards her bedroom.

His assent was confirmed by his compliance as he followed her into her room. She let go of his hand and turned on the small lamp on her nightstand, the soft glow illuminating her soft skin.

Joining him near the bed, Buffy put her arms around him and placed a trail of light kisses down his neck and exposed chest to the first closed button of his shirt. She then looked up at him with a small smile and turned around. "Could you help me?" she asked.

Giles unhooked the clasp of the silver cross and removed it from her neck, taking care to place the necklace on her dresser. Returning to her, he unzipped her dress and, ever so lightly, trailed his fingers over her shoulders and down her arms, taking the straps of her dress with them. He watched as the dress fell to the floor, leaving her standing there in nothing but her black g-string, the leather garter, and her heels.

He let out a soft moan at the sight of her displayed before him: the sweep of her back, curve of her hips, the roundness of her buttocks, and tried to ignore his baser reactions. He wanted to make love to her slowly, relish every moment until they couldn't hold back any longer, giving into their primal needs as one, and he wanted to worship her as he felt she deserved. His Slayer, his hero, the woman who captured his heart, his body, and his soul.

After leaning down to kiss the nape of Buffy's neck, Giles removed the pins from her hair, freeing the blonde locks and allowing them to spill over her shoulders and down her back. He circled his hands around her waist and hugged her close to him, nuzzling his cheek against hers.

Buffy leaned back into him, savoring the quiet moment between them. The night had already been an emotional roller coaster for both of them and now they were about to embark on a whole new aspect of their relationship together. His touch had sent a firestorm through her body and his sensuous kiss to her neck had stolen the breath from her lungs, she needed the brief pause to regain her senses.

"Are you alright?" Giles whispered against her ear before kissing the sensitive spot just below her earlobe.

"More than," Buffy answered, turning in his embrace and smiling up at him. "But these clothes have got to go," she continued, starting to unbutton his shirt. Admittedly she was having a hard time with the buttons after the first two as Giles distracted her, exploring her body with his wandering hands.

"Your skin is like silk," he murmured, bringing his lips down onto her left shoulder, kissing along her collarbone.

The Slayer was close to ripping the shirt off of him in frustration. "Not helping, Giles," she complained and he answered her with a chuckle.

He pulled away to unbutton the cuffs of his shirt. After removing both his shirt and undershirt, he raked his eyes up and down her body. "You are exquisite, Buffy," he proclaimed in reverence.

Buffy smiled and closed the space between them, running her hands up his torso and through the hair on his chest. She kissed his sternum and sought out pleasure points with her hot mouth, finding one particular sensitive spot at the base of his neck along the collarbone. He let out a hiss of appreciation as his hands instinctively cupped her backside, drawing her nearer. Catching her by surprise, she looked up at him and he brought his lips down on hers in a crushing kiss.

Allowing her hands to trail down his ribs, Buffy moved them over the waistband and started to unbutton his jeans, grazing the backs of her fingers over the prominent bulge beneath his briefs. An animalistic sound escaped her Watcher's throat, something between a groan and a growl, and he tore his mouth from hers. Amused at her power over him, the Slayer directed him over towards her bed, drew his jeans and briefs over his thighs, and pushed him down.

Lying on the bed, Giles toed off his shoes and socks, and Buffy pulled his trousers and underwear off. Standing over him, she drank in his body with her eyes. Watching him in motion in the pool was like watching art come alive, but seeing him displayed on the bed, hard and thick with arousal, ready only for her was humbling. Destiny had paired them up as Watcher and Slayer, but it was respect, mutual admiration, and love that brought them to this point as man and woman.

Buffy knelt on the bed and Giles rolled her to the side, trailing his hand along her hip to her thigh. When he reached the leather holster he stopped to remove it. The garter wasn't more than a tiny belt with a buckle and a sheath to hold whichever incarnation of Mr Pointy she carried out with her on those occasions that she dressed up. She had designed it herself for a fancy undercover shindig they had attended earlier in the year, and while it was utilitarian in construction, it was damn sexy on her body.

Having removed the garter, Giles moved his attentions to her belly and kissed her just below her navel, drawing his mouth downward toward the edge of her g-string. He hooked his index finger in the string by her hip and took the lacy fringe of the center strip between his teeth and glided the garment down her legs. His nose brushed through her moist curls, grazing her clitoris, causing her hips to jolt upwards, and she moaned at the slight touch.

He smiled to himself and continued to drag the g-string down her legs when he noticed that she was still wearing her heels. He pulled one shoe off and shook his head, tutting at her, holding it up for her to see. She giggled and he tossed it over his shoulder. Within seconds the other joined its mate in a corner of her room. Then, with a smug look adorning his handsome face, he removed the last of her clothing and dropped it over the side of the bed.

"Get back up here, Watcher," the Slayer ordered with more amusement than authority in her voice.

"As my lady commands," he replied, nibbling and kissing his way up her calf and thigh. Buffy squirmed beneath him and he settled himself between her legs, playfully scraping his teeth in the tender junction between her torso and thigh. She let out a strangled scream and he moved his attentions upwards, watching her reaction as he cupped her breasts in both hands and slowly licked around the nipple on her left breast.

Giles was driving her wild and he hadn't focused his attentions on any of her primary hot spots yet. Buffy grasped the hair on the back of his head, holding him in place, and he finally found the hardened bud, sucking at it and flicking it with the tip his tongue. With her free hand, she grabbed the sheets and arched her back in delight.

She'd been aroused for hours, ever since she walked in on the unknown swimmer in the Academy pool. When she'd discovered the object of her desire was the man she loved, her passion only intensified. No longer wanting to remain passive, Buffy wrapped her legs around his waist and flipped him over, straddling his belly. The look on her face wasn't much different from those times when she straddled him in victory during their training sessions. She was flush with exhilaration, her face awash in delight, and her eyes held a familiar predatory gleam.

His hands wandered her body, surveying peaks and valleys, caressing and massaging. Her body trembled in need and she felt his cock begging for attention against her backside as she moved against him. Leaning down, she kissed him hard, her tongue invading his mouth, her hands on his shoulders. Maneuvering her body, she ran her wet sex over his shaft and they both groaned at the erotic sensations.

"Buffy," he panted, bringing a hand up to stroke her cheek.

She repeated the motion a few more times, reveling in the little shocks that pulsed through her body when the head of his penis slid over her clit. Giles settled his hands on her hips, on the verge of losing patience. He wanted to be in her, feel her heat surrounding him.

"Take me, Buffy, please."

The blonde acknowledged his need, rolling her hips after the upstroke and taking him whole and deep within her, letting out an audible gasp as he entered her.

"Yes!" Giles hissed, biting his lip to keep control. She was so hot and tight and he was lost between his emotions and the physical sensations of being so wholly enveloped by her.

Stretching out over him, Buffy gripped his shoulders, pressed her forehead against his, and gazed deeply into his jade eyes. "I love you, Giles." Before he could respond, she started to grind against him slowly, keeping her position, her eyes focused on his.

He moved his hands to her back, possessively holding her against him, allowing her to set their pace. Her strokes long and slow, her eyes dark with passion, like a forest beneath the hunter's moon - a shade of green he'd never had the privilege of seeing before in their long association.

As Buffy increased the pace, Giles rocked into her, meeting her strokes. She pushed herself up and started to ride him hard and fast, finding that spot within that brought her dangerously close to orgasm. Feeling the tension within her body, her lover quickly rolled her over. He was on the verge as well and wanted to come with her.

He took up the pace with a metered precision as he pounded into her, never taking his eyes off hers. She lost the rhythm as she neared the peak, her breathing shallow, and he reached down between them to massage her clit with his thumb. Unable to hold on any longer, she closed her eyes and cried out his name as her body thrashed beneath his, riding out the waves of their passion. Her inner walls repeatedly gripped his cock and he followed her into oblivion, spilling himself deep within her. Spent, he collapsed on top of her, breathing hard, a sheen of sweat covering his body. He was absolutely wrecked.

Finding his weight reassuring, Buffy wrapped her arms around him and nuzzled her head against his neck. As soon as he regained his breath, he rolled off of her and settled by her side.

Gently moving her hair from her face, he brushed his lips against hers. "I love you too, Buffy. Desperately so," he whispered.

A small smile graced her face. Tracing his scratchy jawline with her index finger, she asked, "After everything?"

"Because of everything."

She nodded. Even through all the hurt inflicted intentionally and unintentionally over the years, they had always worked things out and forgiven each other. Some injuries took longer to heal, but in the end, they'd come out stronger. Enough so that they now found their way into the other's arms.

Giles woke hours later to find Buffy sitting up and staring at him, her face serene and love shining in her mossy grey-green eyes. He hadn't seen that particular shade before either. It took his breath away.

"Good morning," he greeted, rising onto his elbow.

"I think it's late afternoon now," she answered, running her fingers through his unruly hair before bending down to kiss him. He was relaxed, at peace, and it showed in his body and on his face. Much like when she had seen him in the pool the night before, only there was something more. "I want to keep that look on your face forever," she uttered against his lips.

"What look is that?"

"You're happy."

"I am," Giles replied lazily, running his fingers along her collarbone. "So are you," he observed.

"Yeah, it feels good. Do you know what we are going to do today?"

"Spend what is left of it in bed?" he answered, pulling her down into his embrace.

"Oh, okay!" she agreed readily. "But tomorrow... Saville Row."

Giles groaned and quickly rolled her over, nuzzling and nipping at her throat. "I suspect we'll be busy tomorrow too."


End file.
